SAN ANTONIO -- The rookie of the year award is for the best rookie. The defensive player of the year award is for the best defensive player. But the coach of the year award? Well, consider this: Hall of Fame coach Jerry Sloan never won the award. But his longtime assistant, Phil Johnson, did.

The award is superbly subjective. One season it will go to a guy whose team has the best record, whereas the next season it will go to a guy whose team stunk early but then ascended to make the playoffs. But I'll just say this: If the award just went to the dude who coaches the best, the Spurs' Gregg Popovich would have more trophies than Hugh Hefner.

"Who got the most out of his talent? Who pushed his team through the stresses of the NBA season to a high level? Yeah, that would be him," Nuggets coach George Karl said.

So, there's this job opening. Team USA is looking for a new head coach. Pop should get it because, in my opinion, he's the best coach alive.

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"I hope he gets the USA job," Karl said. "I think he wants it. He's a military guy who, I think, brings a dignity to representing the United States, and he's also earned the respect of the basketball world."

Popovich said all the right things when reporters asked him about coaching Team USA, saying it would be an honor. The name of Boston's Doc Rivers has been thrown out there too.

I asked Karl, who coached Team USA in 2002, if he would want to be an assistant on Pop's staff for Team USA.

"If he would present me that opportunity, I would definitely have to consider it," Karl said, seemingly honored even at the suggestion.

As for Popovich, the two-time coach of the year recently joined the 900-win club, joining just 11 coaches with that win total. He is an institution. He and Sloan (1,127 with Utah) are the only guys to get 900 wins with one franchise. Popovich doesn't give a hoot what anyone thinks. I wrote this season: The NBA's biggest rebel is a sexagenarian who doesn't wear a necktie on the bench, gives curt answers for fun and coaches the way he wants to coach.

"I think the one thing I respect about him is he puts as many quality possessions on the court, in the course of 82 games, as any coach in the NBA," said Karl, who is sixth all time with 1,123 wins. "He builds a team system that magnifies team but also magnifies stars, which is sometimes a lot more difficult to do than fans think it is. Incorporating the talent of your star into the team. I'm not sure in San Antonio if everybody is happy, but everybody seems to be."